One run a week is an hour long. I do it as soon as I get up because of the impossibly hot temperatures. It should be a 10k run but I only manage around 7.5 . Not great I know, but I am of a certain age and boy, it ain't half hot here even at the crack of dawn. Anyway, what I don't get it how my first 30 minutes is at a good tempo -- ok, not a full 5k but almost. Then I seem to slow down for about 15 minutes followed by Usain Bolt style energy at the end. Now, is it my old battered body or my head? Am I naturally inconsistent or am I really tired? I did try jelly babies -- orange and purple if you must know -- nice and dentist will kill me, but whether they actually energized me I'm not too sure.

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I can see the headlines now Delia "Jelly baby runner sweeps aside Usain Bolt and offers him her last jelly baby"

I think our body needs to draw back at some point to gather that last bit of energy. That time for me is a dangerous time, if I push too hard that's when I get an injury probably because I'm not running in a relaxed way. That's my theory but no doubt others will have a better and truer reason for it. I'm off now to buy some jelly babies, which I love by the way.

Oh, come on now - "It should be a 10k run but I only manage around 7.5 . Not great I know" Oh yes it is great!

Mentioning running in heat - I've just watched a programme online about the Marathon des Sables (link on this blog flatsoles.wordpress.com/) - I kept finding I was holding my breath, it was so extreme. Well worth a watch, but I doubt it will inspire any of us to try it just yet! (Or ever.)

Have bookmarked that to watch later. It is fascinating but I do think you have to be a bit mad - or does the fact I went out this morning hoping to run an hour but stopped twice mean I have no staying power. Linda

Colleague at work said someone advised her to try jelly babies when she did the London Marathon and they were great but had all squashed together in her pocket and she had to bite big chunks out of them The answer must be to eat them straight away - bit like eating your sandwiches on a long journey before you've left the station. Linda

One of the large online running/cycling/triathlon shops. I've bought lots of bike stuff from there over the years and more lately, some running gear. It may just be a UK based shop since if is a .co.uk URL.

Now wine is good for you. Especially red. My 86 year old mum-in-law who lives with me, downs it like there's no tomorrow. And believe me, she is fighting fit and non in the slightest way boozy -- she drinks Sardinia Cannonau with meals. Now, Sardinians live into their early hundreds and swear by the stuff.

I rarely drink wine at lunch time or I wouldn't be able to work, but today is a public holiday in Roman Catholic Europe so.... cin cin

I did a long, slow run today and nibbled on dried fruit to give me a wee energy boost. DH had bought a packet of mixed dried tropical fruit earlier this week and this was good for running. This was wee cubes of mango, pineapple, banana slices and slivers of coconut.